


let me in & give me warmth

by ordanary



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M, coffee shop au but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 04:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15478101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordanary/pseuds/ordanary
Summary: This could be one of those cheesy stories where the barista and the customer bond over warm coffee and flirtatious small talk until they’re both helplessly in love with each other, but Dan and Phil are already in a relationship, and usually Dan’s not even allowed in the Starbucks that his barista boyfriend works in.





	let me in & give me warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Hello !! I wrote this for @phandomficfests subverted trope flash fest, and tbh I’m not even sure if I did it correctly (I have hope). Enjoy !!
> 
> I took the barista/coffee shop trope and flipped it so that their relationship isn’t established at the coffee shop and dan isn’t even allowed in. I dunno, my brain is weird late at night.

Dan shivered against the chilly September air, suddenly wishing he’d worn something thicker when he’d decided to ask PJ to meet him outside of their local Starbucks. PJ was always late, and he’d known the weather was meant to be cold. Needless to say, sometimes Dan could be a little dumb. 

As he shifted his weight between legs and rubbed his palms together in an attempt to create some form of warmth, Dan watched his boyfriend at work through the window of the coffee shop. 

Phil was inarguably the best barista in the entire city of London, as he’d been told so many times by his boss, a slew of customers, and of course, Dan. He always made an effort to make polite small talk with the caffeine-hungry people that entered the shop, and on top of that, his caramel macchiatos were to die for. 

The two had actually met a few summers back when Phil had been sat out on the patio while on his break, sipping a coffee that he himself had made and his eyes skimming the inky text of the newspaper he held. It was apparently a very busy day, leaving both the inside and outside tables of the Starbucks all occupied. Well, all except for the empty chair across from Phil. 

Dan, being the outgoing and flirtatious person that he was, waltzed over to the spot and sat down, smiling brightly when Phil put down his newspaper and instead smiled back at Dan, taking another drink of his coffee. 

It turned out they were both on the more talkative side of the spectrum, as they chatted about everything imaginable without a break until Phil announced that his lunch was over, but not before exchanging phone numbers with the curly haired boy and saying a warm goodbye. 

Eventually, after a dozen more dates and earning the official title of Phil’s boyfriend, Dan began coming into the Starbucks on the regular and setting himself up at the table closest to Phil’s station, probably talking a little too much, but Phil didn’t seem to mind. Well, Phil didn’t, but his manager did. Marianne was probably the sweetest boss that anyone could ever ask for, but she definitely wasn’t blind to how distracted Phil could become when Dan was anywhere close enough to engage in a discussion. 

So consequently, she made a sign and stuck it on the door with purpose one day, the sign reading,  
“No Dan Howell’s Allowed Inside”. Dan didn’t go in much after that. 

However today, as he’d called PJ earlier to make plans for coffee, he was hoping that it might be one of those rare occasions when Marianne might allow an exception for Dan. 

Finally, turning the corner before waving and smiling in Dan’s direction, PJ arrived. 

“Hey, Dan!” He greeted, opening his arms for a hug. “Long time, no see.”

It was true, the last time he’d seen PJ was in the spring when he and Phil had spent the evening at PJ and Sophie’s flat, playing board games and drinking far too much wine before eventually calling a cab and going home. 

“Hi, Peej,” replied Dan, grinning as he stepped away from the hug. PJ didn’t look much different at all from the last time he’d seen him. Same curly hair –much like Dan’s, only a big longer–, same green eyes, same happy smile. 

“Wanna go inside?” PJ asked, raising his brows. 

“Yeah, definitely.” Oh boy, did he ever. 

PJ went to open the door before halting his actions and turning back to his friend, pointing at the laminated sign on the glass. “Dan, why does it say that specifically you aren’t allowed in?”

Dan shrugged, laughing a bit and rolling his eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”

Luckily, it was a fairly calm day, meaning there were plenty of tables available and Phil wasn’t currently busy serving anyone. Upon seeing his boyfriend and their mutual friend, Phil grinned, waving and motioning for them both to come over. 

“Hey, PJ!” He spoke, then turning to Dan. “Greetings, rat.”

PJ laughed, saying hello to Phil while Dan scoffed in mock offense. “Excuse me, Philly, but I’m not the rat in this relationship. Now get Marianne in here, cause Peej and I want coffee,” Dan demanded playfully, still rubbing his hands together uselessly. 

Phil rolled his eyes before disappearing into the back office, coming back a moment later with the brunette Starbucks manager following closely behind him. 

“Daniel Howell, get your ass out of here!” She demanded quietly, her hands moving to her hips. 

Dan frowned. “But the place is nearly empty! And I have a friend, look!” Dan grabbed PJ by the shoulder, nudging him gently in front of him. PJ waved awkwardly and quirked an eyebrow at Dan. “You wouldn’t deny him service, would you?”

Marianne sighed, shaking her head as she glanced back and forth between her two newest customers. The corners of her lips gradually twitched up into an amused smile as she spoke her next words aimed towards PJ. 

“Keep him from distracting Phil, yeah?” She asked, to which PJ shrugged, answering with a “sure”. Rolling her eyes, Marianne nodded and made her way back into the back office. 

“Victory,” Dan spoke quietly, before the two ordered their drinks, after which PJ nearly had to drag the latter away from Phil. 

The two friends sat down with their drinks after finding a table far enough away from Phil’s station that his manager wouldn’t be mad, but still close enough that Dan could watch him out of the corner of his eye.

“Remind me again why you’ve been banned from this Starbucks?” Asked PJ.

Dan smirked. “Because I distract their best barista from doing his best job.”

PJ laughed, lifting his mug to his lips and taking a sip of his too hot coffee, visibly cringing a bit after the scalding liquid made contact with the inside of his mouth. “So you’re basically to annoyingly talkative to be in here all the time?”

Giggling, Dan dipped a finger into the creamy foam of his drink and brought it to his mouth. “Yeah, sure. So how are you and Sophie?” He asked. 

“We’re really, really good, I think. And how are you and Phil? I mean, you’re obviously not on bad terms, from what I can tell.”

Dan smiled softly. “Yeah, we’re still very happy. We’re thinking about moving, though. The flat’s getting a bit cramped, y'know?”

PJ hummed, drinking from his mug again now that it had cooled down a fair bit. “Do you think you guys will get a place big enough for a dog?”

“Dunno yet. Probably, we were talking about it a few weeks ago, actually.”

Half an hour passed in pleasant conversation as PJ told Dan of the many new characters he’d dreamed up in his head, the personalities and plots he’d thought of with the help of Sophie. They chatted for a while about how things had changed in the past few years and how Dan had bought a new coffee machine with fancy functions that Phil still couldn’t quite understand. Catching up with friends always made Dan feel content, no matter what was going on up in his head at the time. 

When PJ’s cellphone rang, signalling that Sophie was ready to be picked up from work, he exchanged a few quick words with her before standing up and slipping the sleeves of his jacket onto his arms. 

The two curly haired men embraced tightly, mumbling goodbyes into each other’s shoulders. As PJ departed, Dan glanced up at the large clock on the wall above his table, smirking as the hour hand shifted to point directly at the number five. Dan made his way to the front counter where Phil stood with a little extra bounce in his step, waiting politely off to the side while the latter quickly finished making some all too complicated drink for a tired looking woman in her mid thirties, Dan would guess. 

As she left, Dan pressed himself against the counter eagerly, his hands bracketed against the cool countertop and his eyes shining up at his boyfriend. 

“Your shift is over,” Dan reminded the raven haired man, biting his lip to keep from smiling too widely.

“Why are you so excited about that?” Phil asked, smirking as he reached behind his neck to untie his apron which he then placed on the counter in front of himself. 

“Because I can walk you home,” Dan explained, the ‘duh’ clear in his explanatory yet cheery tone. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. That, and I didn’t bring a jacket, so now I can steal yours and I don’t have to walk home alone and cold.”

Phil laughed, his tongue poking out cheekily between his crooked teeth as he beamed at Dan, the corners of his eyes crinkling up as he grinned.

“Freeloader,” he commented lowly before stepping away from the counter to grab his knapsack and jacket. As they exited the Starbucks, Phil tossed said jacket over to Dan, which the aforementioned gratefully accepted, expressing his gratitude in the form of sticking like a leech to Phil’s side. To keep him warm, too, he justified. 

“So what did you and Peej talk about?” Phil inquired as he wrapped an arm around Dan’s waist. 

As they continued along the pavement leading back to their flat, Dan watched their boot clad feet crunch and pulverize the rust coloured leaves below them. “Lots of things. Mostly, though, about how wonderful you are and how stupid it is that I’m not allowed in there most days,” he answered, only half lying. 

Chuckling, Phil pulled Dan in closer to his body in equal attempts to both express his love for the slightly taller man and grasp with numb fingers at said man’s body heat. Either way, neither of them minded. 

“Well, if you’re telling the truth, then I feel really bad for PJ. Poor guy.”

This time it was Dan’s turn to lean in closer to Phil, his own cold hand lifting to his side to rest over Phil’s. “Nah, but we did talk about a lot of things. PJ says that him and Sophie are really happy right now. He asked about us, too.”

Phil quirked a brow, the corners of his mouth lifting. “And what did you say?” He asked curiously, still covered hand rubbing slow circles into Dan’s side. 

“That are really, really happy, too,” answered Dan. 

Phil pressed a quick but lingering kiss to Dan’s temple, smiling even wider as he felt Dan’s fingers slip into the spaces between Phil’s own. They were still so in love with each other, even after three years of ups and downs, bad times and good times, few fights and heartfelt apologies. Even the littlest things such as walking home together after a long day reminded the two of just how fond they were of each other, and both of them somehow knew that this feeling wouldn’t stop anytime soon. 

“Good,” Phil spoke, eyes ahead of him but so full of adoration for the man beside him. “Cause I’m really happy with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading !! Maybe reblog on tumblr (@ordanary) ?? Kudos and comments are appreciated :)


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